The Chief Taster is not a fan of black pudding, but thanks to the wisdom handed down to me by my Lancastrian father (he of the pork and apple pie), I am.

So whenever the CT has to go away, that’s when I get to revisit forbidden pleasures. And I also get to experiment – these are two robust ingredients (cavolo nero is, incidentally, Italian for “black cabbage”) which marry well together.

Recipe for Black on Toast – cavolo nero and black pudding

Serves 2 for lunch – if you are cooking for two hungry people top with a poached egg

Ingredients

• 200g/7 oz cavolo nero – you can buy it ready-prepared which saves time
• 4 spring onions
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed with ½ tsp salt
• 50g/2 oz butter, plus more for buttering
• 150g/5 oz black pudding
• 2 slices of bread – something good quality, real sourdough, or a hearty granary
• Pinch Urfa pepper flakes
• 2 tbsps crème fraîche or mascarpone
• Generous grinds of nutmeg

Method

1. Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil, and salt it generously.
2. Meanwhile prepare the cavolo nero by taking out the tough stems. Wash if necessary.
3. Cook for five minutes, drain, refresh, and squeeze out the excess water.
4. Meanwhle heat a little olive oil in a large, oval frying pan, take the skin off the black pudding and very roughly crumble it in. When it’s cooked through, push it to one end of the pan, and add the butter, cavolo nero, nutmeg, garlic and Urfa pepper flakes. Snip over the spring onions.
5. Turn the heat down and add the crème fraîche or mascarpone to the cavolo nero mix.
6. Toast the bread, butter it lightly, and serve topped with the cavolo nero, and the black pudding.